One Riverside residential high rise celebrates grand opening

Philadelphia — The Harman Group (THG), a firm specializing in structural engineering, parking planning and design and construction engineering, announced that One Riverside, a $90 million, 82-unit residential condominium complex in Philadelphia, celebrated its grand opening milestone on May 2. Standing 22 stories tall, One Riverside is the first ground-up luxury high-rise condominium constructed in Philadelphia since the real estate downturn in 2007.

THG provided structural engineering and parking consulting services for One Riverside, which was designed in conjunction with Cecil Baker + Partners Architects and developed by Dranoff Properties.

“This is the second successful project that Dranoff Properties and THG have completed, and is one of many successful projects that Cecil Baker + Partners Architects and THG have created, which speaks to our ability to design projects that get built,” said Malcolm Bland, Vice President and Principal at The Harman Group. “Together we were able to create a premier luxury condominium building that reflects the architect and developer’s unique vision.”

To ensure the best possible residential spaces, THG worked closely with Cecil Baker + Partners Architects to bring the exterior columns to the interior, allowing for floor-to-ceiling windows which offer unobstructed views of University City, Center City and the Riverfront. The project also features luxury amenities, including a 60-foot indoor pool; a Club Room with catering and a fully-equipped Business Center; landscaped terraces including a lush private garden, an outdoor sundeck overlooking the Schuylkill River; and covered underground parking as well as a drive-up motor court, allowing residents to pull directly up to their front door.

Due to the project’s location in the Schuylkill River flood plain and with the high-water table at the site, occupied spaces of the building were elevated above the flood plain, with the underground parking garage located below the water table and below the flood plain. The podium, which is partially underground and contains the parking area, was designed to resist hydrostatic and buoyancy pressures via the use of rock anchors and a pressure raft.

Cast-in-place concrete was chosen for the structural frame to maximize the ceiling heights and maintain a sleek modern look to the building. The concrete frame also enabled the required column grid spacing to be achieved economically and provided a robust lateral wind and seismic force resisting system.